Carrot Parmesan Risotto

Sometimes you come home from work, and all you want is a nice hot bowl of something comforting. And at the same time, you don’t want your supper to be, well, boring. And those are the nights that call for risotto. don’tbe intimidated by all those recipes that tell you that you MUST stir risotto constantly for 30 minutes or until your stirring arm falls off, whichever comes first, because I am here to tell you that is NOT true. Not. True. You can make perfectly heavenly risotto by only stirring it here and there, I promise you.

This particular risotto starts with a base of red onion and shredded carrots that you saute for a few minutes in just the teeniest amount of butter. This is the perfect recipe to make when those first carrots start popping up at your local farmer’s market.

Now toss in some rice…if you have the arborio variety that is great, but I actually used a nice basmati rice because that is what I happened to have on hand at the moment and it worked out just fine. Pour in some chicken broth a cup at a time and stir every five minutes or so and you will be just fine. (Here’s my trick: I put on my Ipod and stir at the end of every song…that’s about 3-5 minutes depending on your playlist. Yes, this risotto owes it all to my playlist of Bob Seger songs, and I’m not ashamed to admit it.)

At the very end, when the rice is tender and the carrots have almost melted into it, you toss in a teeny bit more butter and a handful of grated parmesan cheese. Spoon it into your favorite dish and grind enough pepper on top to give it just the right amount of kick. That’s all there is too it. This would be great with just about anything you cook on the grill…Buttermilk Chicken, for example…but for those early spring days that are still just chilly enough to make you want a bowl of something warm and comfy…it doesn’t get too much better than this.

In a large saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Add onion and carrots and season with a little salt and pepper. Cook until softened, about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in rice. Add wine and stir it around until the wine is almost gone, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Add 2 cups of the hot broth and water mixture and cook over medium-low heat until the liquid is almost gone, 10 to 12 minutes, stirring every minute or so. Continue to add broth 1 cup at a time, waiting until the liquid is almost gone before adding more and stirring about once a minute.

Repeat until rice is creamy and just tender, about 20 minutes (you may not need all the broth).

Stir in Parmesan and 1 tablespoon butter, and season with salt and pepper. Serve at once.

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Welcome!

Hi there! I’m Kate, and welcome to my world of cooking, taking pictures of what I’ve cooked, eating it up and then doing the whole thing all over again. My camera and I try to get in and out of the kitchen with delectable meals that are both quick and interesting, which is my favorite combination... If you want to know more….